Adrian Peterson must have a crystal ball tucked under his arm like he did a football all season. At the Pro Bowl, he predicted he would win the NFL’s MVP award and on the eve of Super Bowl XLVII. He found out he was right.

Peterson pulled the night's big hardware – the AP MVP of the league trophy in the second annual NFL Honors on Saturday night — upstaging fellow front-runner Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning for the honor at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans. Manning settled for the AP Comeback Player of the Year award.

It is Peterson's first NFL MVP award. When asked what gave him the gumption to make the prediction, Peterson responded:

"Just by the way I played the game," Peterson said. "I felt like they were able to see how passionate I am about the game. I just play with all my heart."

Peterson and Manning had provided massive sports talk show fodder and fan debate in the preceding few months as both were coming off injuries to surge to improbable success.

Peterson, a Minnesota Vikings running back, nearly set the NFL’s single-season rushing record this season.

The 27-year-old rushed 348 times for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 131.1 yards a game.

Doing so a year after tearing his MCL and ACL made the feat all the more remarkable. He came up nine yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s 1984 single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards.

“He shattered his knee 57 weeks ago. No more said,” ESPN analyst Cris Carter said earlier in the week.

Manning missed 2011 with a neck injury and despite winning the MVP award four previous times in his storied career – it was far from certain Manning could effectively throw the ball much less challenge for the league’s top honor after neck surgeries and changing franchises from the Indianapolis Colts to the Denver Broncos.

"I really did not know what to expect," Manning said. "Certainly you had the double variables of coming off the injury, not playing for a year and joining a new team, a new system, new teammates -- so that certainly added a lot to my plate. So it was hard to really know what to expect."

Manning’s feat impressed some because of his advancing age with regard to NFL players. Manning turns 37 in March.

But he finished with 4,659 passing yards and 37 touchdowns and a career-best quarterback rating of 105.8. Manning shared the MVP with Steve McNair in 2003 then won the award outright in 2004, 2008 and 2009.

Manning seemed pleased with the Comeback award.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to be back playing the game I love," Manning said.

But it was AD’s night – as he predicted it would be.

It was also
J.J. Watt's night. Watt, a Houston Texans defensive end, led the NFL in sacks with 20.5 and had 81
tackles. Watt became the first defensive end to win the AP award since Jason
Taylor in 2006.

One of the other hotly-debated awards in the past few weeks has been: "Who will win the Offensive Rookie Player of the Year?"

That was settled Saturday as well.

In the Year of the Rookie Quarterbacks, Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins stood out. He is the only rookie referred to as often or more by his nickname than anything else: RGIII, and his 3,200 passing yards helped Griffin win the award over Andrew Luck of the Colts and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks in a lopsided vote announced Saturday.

"When it came down to it after the bye week when we were 3-6 and we had to win, we did," Griffin said when asked about what stood out this season for him. "To have the last game in our house on national TV in bright lights and to come away with the victory showed a lot of character for our football team."

Defensive Rookie of the Year went to the Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly. Kuechly led the league with 164 tackles, a year removed from playing at Boston College.

He elicited 28 votes (of out 50) from AP voters.

He is the second Panther to win the award. Defensive end Julius Peppers won in 2002.

Tight end Jason Witten of
the Dallas Cowboys won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his work in
helping provide male models for children in domestic violence-ridden families. Arizona
Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas were
also up for the award.

"No question, it's
my biggest individual accomplishment," Witten said. "He (Payton) was known as
sweetness on the field and he had the deep desire to be the best he could be
and he did it the right way and to make an impact like he did – that's what it
is all about."